Best of the Best in Gymnastics ANNOTATION
Discusses the past and future of women's basketball and presents biographies of eight of the sport's most famous players: Cynthia Cooper, Teresa Edwards, Lisa Leslie, Rebecca Lobo, Nikki McCray, Dawn Staley, Kate Starbird, and Sheryl Swoopes.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
The story of women's gymnastics and biographies of eight famous gymnasts: Simona Aminar, Vanessa Atler, Dominique Dawes, Ling Jie, Svetlana Khorkina, Kristin Maloney, Shannon Miller, and Dominique Moceanu.
FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature - Dianne Ochiltree
Women gymnasts have always possessed precision, power and grace. But it was not until 1972 that a young Soviet athlete, Olga Korbut stepped into the Olympic spotlight and changed the face of the sport forever. Until Korbut, the stars of women's gymnastics were mature, conservative, technically sound veterans in the twenties or early thirties. Today's gymnasts are young risk-takers with a keen competitive spirit and a passion for perfection. This nonfiction book profiles eight of the world's best female gymnasts--Simona Amanar, Vanessa Atler, Dominique Dawes, Ling Jie, Svetlana Khorkina, Kristen Maloney, Shannon Miller and Dominique Moceanu. Chapters giving a brief overview of the sport are also included. This is a great reference book for school or library, and or a gift book for the budding gymnast! It is part of the "Women of Sports" series.
VOYA
The fine volumes in the Women of Sports series profile eight of the world's best young athletes in their respective sports. Each book begins with a brief history of the sport and its pioneers. Separate chapters focus on individual athletes, describing each one's background and rise to worldclass competition, career highlights, and plans for the future. Gymnastics introduces readers to the influential Russian gymnast of the 1950s, Larissa Latynia, a classically trained ballerina who brought grace and beauty to this sport of physical strength. The author continues with the impact of Olga Korbutthe first gymnast to smile during a performanceRomanian Nadia Comaneci, and Cathy Rigby and Mary Lou Retton of the United States. A boxed sidebar describes four major gymnastic events and how they are judged. With tight and lively writing, the following chapters open with a fullpage color shot of, and quotation by, the featured athlete, with many clear, exciting color photographs throughout. Format and style are consistent across titles in this attractivelydesigned and wellwritten series. Other titles cover figure skating, soccer, tennis, track and field, and basketball. Rutledge's contagious enthusiasm for sports history makes these titles highly recommended. Index. Photos. Chronology. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P M J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 1999, Millbrook, Ages 12 to 15, 64p. PLB $22.90. Reviewer: Cynthia Grady
School Library Journal
Gr 5-8-The first 10 pages of this volume describe the ancient and modern history of gymnastics and culminate with an overview of the accomplishments of the "magnificent seven," the nickname of the successful U.S. women's team at the 1996 Olympics. The eight chapters that follow present biographical sketches of three of those team members (Dominique Dawes, Shannon Miller, and Dominique Moceanu) and five up-and-coming stars (Kris Maloney and Vanessa Atler of the U.S., Svetlana Khorkina from Russia, Simona Amanar of Romania, and Ling Jie from China). Each chapter includes three full-color photos and a chart of career highlights. The book does not shy away from controversial issues, addressing eating disorders, injury and sometimes even death, pushing young girls too hard, and Moceanu's legal separation from her parents due to financial matters. For more detail on the USA team of 1996, try Nancy Kleinbaum's The Magnificent Seven (Bantam, 1996). Joel Cohen's Superstars of Women's Gymnastics (Chelsea, 1997) highlights four stars, only one of whom is duplicated here. Rutledge's attractive book complements these titles.-Kate Kohlbeck, Randall School, Waukesha, WI Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
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